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Posted on: Nov 19, 2007

Mass Effect

WORDS BY: Paul Curthoys

For folks like us, people who spend probably a bit too much of their free time playing videogames, the surprise of coming across a new, truly great experience is all too rare. Yup, we get the irony — OXM’s been handing out a…bewildering number of 10s in the past few issues, and we know we’ll catch some flak for that. We call it celebrating what is clearly the best four months’ worth of videogame releases ever, but whatever you call it, don’t let that be a reason to pass over Mass Effect. It’s the best of the bunch by a parsec or more.

Mass Effect is a great science-fiction novel in videogame form. Meaning, it mixes the highest caliber of pure story with the decision-making and raw action of the best games. The pixie dust behind that magic is the game’s much-heralded dialogue system, which is every bit as good as we’d hoped it would be.

But to first set the stage a bit, you play as Commander Shepard, humanity’s most talented soldier, in a time where Earth has just discovered deep-space travel, joined the galactic community, and is trying to attain a seat on the Council — a United Nations–like collective that governs the known galaxy. A sinister threat is emerging, one that only humanity takes seriously, and…well, this brilliant story goes so many places from there, it’s best to stop summarizing before spoiler territory is breached.

COMMENTS:

Best game ever, it may seem like its a bland story but you will drop your jaw when you hear the true story. That's just the beggining. I've played for 3 months now and I STILL haven't done everything. If you love a good story line, great gameplay, and bad sex scenes, get Mass Effect.

OMG!!!WHAT A GAME. Just completed it and enjoyed every minute of it. I've never played a RPG of this calibur and if you're having doubts about picking this game up, don't. The graphics are gorgeous, gameplay is rock solid and the dialogue within the story if beautiful. I didn't find anything wrong about the game. Very challenging at times but enjoyable. Going around for the second time, gotta get a few more achievements. Overall i would give this game a 11 (Yes I said it, even if XBOX didn't).

the game is awsome but i have seen dialogue like that before in an original xbox game before (i think an old starwars game. but other than that it is a very cool game, i do like the parts were you have to decide on certin things that will change the game. on a scale of 1-10 i would give it a 9.5 but i really should'nt scale it yet cuz' i have not beat the game but soo far a really good game.

mass effect was the third best game ever ( KOTOR 1st and bioshock 2nd) i do agree that the planets get a little repetitive(they could have thrown in some more cities) but still awesome game. BTW to pretty much everyone on this forum, Fallout is made by bethesda, the people who made oblivion, so if u didnt like oblivion u might not like fallout. im not sure y u wouldnt like oblivion, but thats ur opinion. oblivion is also the 4th best game

i own this i think its a awsome game,i think the achivments are easy and cool to get and the game play dos get repeative, run ,see gun fire, go for cover, fight back, repeat

the story is cool to get into and the repeat stuff is awsome so i think its good for a 10.0

I loved KOTORI+II, so when I read about Mass Effect I was immediatly anticepating its release. It is going to be the Halo for RPGs since there are going to be more. When I read something that someone said bad about it I want to gag'em, hang them by their toes from a tree, and clip them with a fingernail clipper and say "What Idiocy". I haven't read much about the Fallout games but I guess I better give them a try.

i totally agree with jimjam1081. I was skeptical about this game because i wanted Oblivion "Oh so bad" but then got it and got bored after about 20 hours. I gave Mass Effect a try and i am amazed. Awesome story, awesome characters (Wrex) and great dialouge, script, voice acting, and graphics. I too am awaiting Fallout 3...

From the mind of... xxDEATH JAMxx
I'll tell ya, I was skeptical of this game. I had played KOTOR and couldn't get into it. I then knew that RPG's weren't my style. I don't have as much time for games like I used to, which was one of the reasons.
I got Mass Effect for x-mas and almost traded it in for Assasins Creed. Since it got such great reviews, I decided to give it a chance...and I'm glad I did. The game immediately immersed me into the story. The fighting is great and I'm exploring everything possible. 30 hours in and I'm still interested. I now want to give Fallout 3 a chance and whatever Bioware throws at us next.
Needless to say, i've suddenly found more time to play.

Every self repecting RPG fan Owes it to themself to Enjoy the Masterpiece that is Mass Effect!! It has everything a gamer could possibly want from a RPG! The exceptions being: YOU Will Not like this game if you belong to Either the "It Sucks if it doesn't have Online" and/or the "RPGs are Boring! Why Actually like learn how to read dialogue as well as play games?" Crowds! All critic bashing aside. We as gamers Know what we like to play! I cringe every time I read a gamer Blast a genre that they are not fond of! Why not simply give every game played your Honest opinion of its overall quality! We as a community share our opinions to help ensure fellow gamers Enjoy All the Great games our 360 has to offer!!

RPG's suck to boring and why read on your spare time.

CAUTION: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD
What's the part where you have to decide whether an entire species dies? If it was the Rachni on Noveria, that was an easy choice for me. I couldn't find a single good reason why not to let the queen go. There were no consequences for that choice, except for the turian Council member yelling at you over it and most of your crew questioning your decision. If it was the krogan genophage cure, I wasn't even aware there was a choice there. If there was I would have gotten a sample of the cure for Wrex, then nuked the base. (I talked Wrex out of his little tantrum) Besides, the genophage doesn't technically kill krogan, it only makes breeding impossible. Please clear this up for me.
Gamertag: El Patro13

Bioware you've done it again!!! I am a huge Star Wars nerd! That being said, KOTOR was, at least until now, my favortie game of all time! And who made it? BIOWARE!! Now with Mass Effect, theres a new Sherif in town and it's the greatest RPG ever made!! Techy difficulties are a small sacrifice for the best experience on your 360 yet!!

I got this game about 2 days ago and let me tell you Mass Effect is truly a mesmerizing experience. Sure it has some flaws but what game dosen't? I think this game deserves a 10 in almost every category besides some glitches I ran into during the game. But Mass Effects storytelling is so good I swear this is the BEST storyline I have EVER seen. This game is truly a masterpeice and it deserves no less than a 10.

this is the kind of game that deserves two or three sequels. It offers something that isn't just rare in the rpg genre, but most video games as a whole. It immerses you so deeply in the story and other characters that the great game play and combat comes to be an afterthought. This is the type of game sets a new standard for an amazing story in a video game. Just Brilliant

Whats the best game on the 360, no "well it has its flaws but its still good" give me th title please not why

Personally i believe that this game is one of the top RPG for 360 it may not be Oblivion but it is sure a close second if not first in some peoples books

I hate getting stuck on mountains. Ever get out of the Mako, walk 20 yards...and then realize your stuck...only to find out the last time you saved was 2 hrs ago? Other then that, crappy Mako controls (Why the hell does it feel like I'm driving on marshmellows instead of rocky ground?), and the grenade button, it's a great game. ---------------------------------------------------------
"Save me a bullet, walk towards the light"

KR1992, who cares about the already amazing gameplay. Im just buying it for the storylines. No game is good without good storylines

I hate gettin into arguments especially with some sad sack on the internet about 'games' no-less but if u actually read what i wrote subjectivly instead of reading what u thought i was writing i was referring to the lack of 'non-linear' after playing the game for longer i have come to terms with the blatant lies thrust upon me by biased magazines, i hav got used to the terrible controls of the Mako and the other combat scenarios within and found that it was just a good game, and i thin all these 90% and 9/10 scores its getting is OTT. as big as the game is, and as nice as it looks it aint Oblivion, it dont even come close, and when fallout 3 comes out i think everyone will have forgotten all about mass effect...

OK,to bats_in_the_belfry, you must be either stupid or just crap at gaming, mass effect is one of the best games ever released, sure its not perfect, no game is, but mass effect is the closest thing to it yet, every single part of it is incredible, including the combat, its fast paced and immersive. the xbox was made for mass effect.

MASS EFFECT IS HORRIBLE

now i hav your attention i would like to clarify that statement.

I purchased it the day of UK release and have played it three times since (not all the way thru!) the first section is generic rpg crap then you becomea 'spectre' and have access to ur own ship and can journey across space and check out some planets and the like, i believe the review said non-linear. Rubbish, this game is so linear i think im gonna buy jericho yeah?! the graphic design is mint and the conversation element is awesome, but the combat is horrific and when u get to that Mako pile of bollocks it gets worse! clunky, clumsey and downright frustrating. i have never been so dissapointed by losing £39.99 and to top it all the reason i bought the game was because of the reviews in OXM and various other publications which turn out to be (on average) 6 pages of lies.
I should've bought Assasins Wotsit instead of Mass Defect.

I was thinking about getting this or Assasins Creed. I think you know what I'm going to get.

Yeah i can't wait to get it...thanks for the great review on this one guys.

I've run through this game four times already, and though I'm taking a break to work with Guitar Hero again, I know the moment I put that Mass Effect disk into the drive and my Xbox starts making sweet love to it once more I'll be hooked again. How do you do it BioWare?

Mass Effect so far to me yes does deserve a 10. And I do agree with the grenade situation, horrible button for it and just annoying to try and throw one. Other then that the game plays like it should A 10. I love games like this because I like to take the Evil route the first go around in games and most games that come out force you to be good or just one role part which I hate. Already I had to force myself to turn the system off because I'm unable to let go of the controller. I will be playing this game a good couple of times before I retire it to my pile of games gamestop will not be seeing me trade in. Love it and if you love story telling this game is for you.

Mass Effect Rocks!!!! I haven't even finished it yet, but I've got a "suspiciously" strong feeling that this game will continue to kick azz till the very end. 9, Maybe 9.5 outta 10.

I don't have a problem w/ OXM handing out 10s; 10s aren't the "meca-godzilla/ unicorn" of 11-ness. But Mass Effect is Not a 10. Putting aside the concept of a "perfect 10" (which is kinda a big put-aside since thats the point of something being a "10"), according to OXM's own rating criteria, MassEffect falls into the 9s. The 2nd-to-last paragraph contains the phrases "obnoxiously complex" and "outrageously stupid". <....> Honestly, can a 10-game have Any elements that are either of those things?

i only have mass effect, but i would say cod4. because it has multiplayer, it will last you longer till the holidays.

ok im having a tough choice
should i buy call of duty 4, mass effect, or assassins creed

please help

Mass effect is a must buy for all RPG players, the story is amazing, unfortunately for harcore RPGers like myself the whole shooter thing is slighty disapointing(like if your a fan of KoTORs turn based). as the game progresses it will feel more and more like SW KoTOR, which is a very good thing in my book, cant wait for the sequels, but how about SW KoTOR 3 Bioware???

I can't wait for the sequels to come, I'm having a blast with this game. Although, there are a few annoyances, they can be easily tolerated. This is a solid 9.5/10 in my book.

well at least there may still be a sequel. maybe as another race. Is it me or are you god like at the end. second isnt merely because i set it on hardcore. spectre master gear kicks butt.

Sorry guys, we goofed in the issue this ran in. Word from Microsoft is that they own rights to publishing Mass Effect. BioWare will of course develop the sequel still, but MS will publish, or at least has right of first refusal to do so -- unless EA buys it off them in the interim. I count that as good news, but honestly wasn't worried either way -- we know the BioWare dudes pretty well, and the last thing they'd do is let a publisher muck up their IP.

I agree almost completely with this review, especially tghe "Made from 100%, raw, uncut awesome." lol

the only problem for me is that when i get a really good game, i cant play anything else. so i think my halo 3 disk will be collecting dust for a while.

If EA screws up Mass Effect 2 I can garuntee that me and 2 million other people won't be camping out in front of a retailer, instead we'll be camping out in front of EA and screaming some very explicit sayings until they get the picture

Mitchy is 100 percent correct. I forsee myself playing this one for a very long time as well. Bioware really out did themselves. I was wondering though, In the Ghostbusters issue of Gameinformer it mentions that EA now owns the Mass Effect IP. I thought that was a Microsoft that Bioware was just developing it for them. Any idea if GI may have been wrong. I would hate for EA to ruin or rush part two.

Thanks Mitchy. Yeah, it's definitely one that's worth playing for a long long time. I'm on my second run through now, and using that to plan what I'll do the third time...

I don't know if I can contain myself for the next 12 hours before I pick it up. It's killing, me, man.

Great review Paul. You nailed about everything I was concerned about... Looks to be something I'll be playing until New Years... 2019.
-- http://www.nukoda.com --
Gamertag: MitchyD88

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